


Family

by TheObsidianWarlock



Series: The Lord Admiral and Ranger General Universe [3]
Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-04-24 03:32:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19164961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheObsidianWarlock/pseuds/TheObsidianWarlock
Summary: Sylvanas had never contemplated that her family would grow larger. She'd also never have thought that the catalyst for such a thing would be a malfunctioning portal and a small, plucky bat.





	1. A Visitor

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JE_Talveran](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JE_Talveran/gifts).



> This entry into the LA/RG world is dedicated to JE_Talveran, author of Timeless, beta for On My Mind, and creator of the best boi, Moth.
> 
> I pay quick homage to several other authors, too, because they're all awesome.

Calm days. 

Peace – an abstract, unknowable relic from a previous life. Sylvanas had been reborn into decades of war, a prisoner in her own dead body … and now, peace. To say that she had awkward moments would be a titanic understatement. But Sylvanas cherished this peace – and, to her great elation, she did so as a Ranger-General. 

True, Boralus was not Silvermoon, but now that Vereesa and some her the remaining Quel’dorei had begun to move to the island, even that distinction had blurred. All that was left was for Alleria to return from Telogrus, and her family – both sides – would all be home, safe and sound.

A light squeeze on her hand and her attention returned to her lover – her _fiancée_ , now. Jaina looked radiant these days. Kul-Tiras’ Lord Admiral boasted a never-fading smile, her sea-blue eyes twinkling with delight. Her hair shone a brilliant gold – easily a shade or two brighter than last year. Apparently, happiness helped in recovering from mana overexposure. 

Peace helped, too. Other than lecturing to new mages at the naval academy or supplying the children with conjured treats and playful elementals, Jaina rarely called upon the arcane. She, too, basked in the lasting peace that now graced Azeroth. 

“Look out!”

“Run!”

“Get away from it!”

“Grab the kids! Anyone!”

But peace could be fleeting. 

The shouts were distant, but her keen elven ears caught them easily. Undead muscles flexed as Sylvanas’ martial instincts took over. Stepping to place herself in front of Jaina as she walked towards the square—

“Sylvanas.” Jaina kept her hand, tugging at her as she 

“Something is wrong,” she said, slowing to Jaina’s pace. “I can hear it. We should – I should see to it.”

“Oh.” Jaina’s eyes closed, and the breeze picked up around Sylvanas, joyfully lifting her long, pale hair and tickling her ears, which flicked several times.

“The portal,” Jaina said as her eyes snapped back open, a glowing sheen clinging to her irises. “The Stormwind portal has de-synchronized.”

Still hand-in-hand, they raced toward the escalating shouts. Rounding the final building, Sylvanas pushed past guards as they ushered civilians way from the unstable portal. Arcs of raw arcane energy seared erratic scars across the pave stones. Two mages desperately fought with the energies, struggling to both contain the portal and repair the spell.

Glancing into the portal itself, Sylvanas saw madness.

Boralus echoed a thousand times; some burned, some prospered beyond her wildest imaginations. Stormwind in ruins. Stormwind with gleaming metal buildings, each a mile tall at the least. 

Silvermoon whole, untouched by the Scourge. 

Strange pre-elven ruins she’d thought lost to the ages.

Sylvanas saw herself alive. A law enforcer. A shop owner. A chef. A musician. 

Jaina was with her many of those times. Those, she noticed, were far more content with themselves.

Bright, blond hair. 

Sylvanas blinked. Jaina stood in front of her now, blocking her view. “You like tempting insanity, don’t you?” she chided as she gathered her energies. 

“I will contain the discharges,” Jaina called to the other mages. “Mr. Edwards, please see to the fractured spell matrix. As you re-weave, ease it into place slowly – no more than a third a minute as a guideline. Ms. Pence, you’ll have to create a pull on the vortex proper form the other side; Mr. Edwards’ working needs a place to settle, so you’re going to give him one.”

Like children at class, the mages hastened to okay. Jaina’s voice pierced the chaos and panic like sharpest of arrows; already, a sense of ease and normalcy crept back into the eyes of onlookers. 

Falling into her role as Ranger-General, Sylvanas walked the perimeter of the square, checking in with guards and citizens: Was anyone hurt? Was anyone missing? Who was using the portal when it happened? 

By the time she’d finished speaking to witnesses, the portal stood stable and shimmering, a view of Stormwind – their Stormwind – visible through the shimmering rift. The two mages had moved off, and Jaina stood near the portal, seeping away the energies and easing it closed.

“All is well?” Sylvanas asked as she approached. 

“I believe so,” Jaina replied. “I’d rather close this portal and work a fresh one than leave a ruptured spell in place. Just a couple of tangles left… oh!” Jaina’s magics shifted, the energies preserving a small portion of the portal even as the rest winked out of existence.

Jaina slowly peeled the energies away, and within…

A frail squeak came from within, and out fell a rather bedraggled bat, plopping into Jaina’s outstretched hand.

“Jaina, wait,” Sylvanas called as her senses buzzed. “That bat is undead. It’s … it’s Forsaken.”

“It’s more than that,” Jaina whisper easily reached her ears. “This signature feels like you, love. Here.”

Jaina carefully pressed the bat into Sylvanas’ hands. Wariness fought against curiosity as she tilted the small creature up to face her. Its beady eyes reflected her own molten stare back at her… then it butted its small head against her hand, nuzzling in. 

Oh. That was…

“See?” Jaina said. “It recognizes you. It even has a tiny little harness on it.”

“I… another me… raised a bat? As a _pet?_ ”

“Our portal must have touched a portal on its world while de-synchronized. It must have gotten caught.”

“I…” Sylvanas locked gazes with Jaina. “My love, any undead variation of me is likely to be highly unfriendly.” 

Jaina raised an eyebrow. “I doubt it in this case.”

“Why?”

“Because the etching on the harness spells out ‘Moth.’ Hardly the name of a dangerous, Blight-spreading monster, I think.”

Startled, Sylvanas turned the bat around to see its back. Sure enough, there it was: Moth, burnt lightly into the leather in small, precise Thalassian script.

The little bat chattered and licked at Jaina’s hand as she reached to pet it. “Seems he likes us already,” she laughed. 

“Moth…” Sylvanas whispered. Was this other version of her peaceful? Had that Sylvanas found happiness, the way that she herself had?

Moth returned to nuzzling her hand, as if asking for something. Affection, perhaps? No… Sylvanas peered over the small risen creature; it seemed frail, its animating energies weak and depleted. Small patches of fur were missing, and one of its wings seemed broken.

Carefully cradling Moth inside one arm, Sylvanas called forth a shadowy wisp of necromantic power, letting it pool in her free hand like molasses. 

Moth immediately stretched toward the hand, chittering and squeaking. Greedily, it lapped at the offered energy, and immediately Sylvanas saw the improvement. A healthy sheen returned to its fur; both wings stretched, strong and whole. Moth itself – himself, Sylvanas discovered as she examined his underside – seemed to gain a solid pound or so of mass.

Jaina cooed softly as she ran her hands across Moth’s soft fur, but her soft, gentle gaze sought Sylvanas. “You see?” she said. “It’s like you knew exactly what to do.”

“I…”

Sylvanas wanted many things. Peace. Rest. Jaina. She had achieved them all, finally. Now, with Moth, came a longing of a different sort. One that she’d never dared to discuss before.

But no. She shelved the thought forcefully – a topic for another day. “I will care for him, then,” she offered.

Jaina nodded . “And I will see about narrowing down his dimension of origin.” She gently pulled at Moth’s fur until she had a few loose strands in her hand. “Let’s see if we can’t help this poor little soul back home.”

Back to Proudmoore keep they walked, again hand-in-hand. Moth, now sated and content, squirmed his way into the crook between Sylvanas’ neck and pauldron, and settled in for a quiet nap.


	2. A Resolution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The finale of my tribute to Moth, and the lasting effect he has on Ranger General Sylvanas and Lord Admiral Jaina! I hope you all enjoy it!

“Again?” Sylvanas laughed as Moth shot from her hands towards the apple tree. The trees offered shade and the calm rustling of forests that soothed her. Apparently, her cross-dimensional ward agreed. Moth seemed surprisingly adept at plucking small apples from the tree, clumsily gliding back to her with its green prize constantly slipping from his tiny back feet. 

Heedless of the tiny little punctures, Sylvanas bit into the juicy fruit. The tartness of the underripe apple just barely registered to her tongue – and that was pleasurable all on its own.

Dropping the second core beside her, she carefully trapped Moth as he made to take off again. “That’s enough for now,” she murmured. Moth protested squeakily for a moment, but quickly relented in favour of crawling back up her arms to nuzzle against her face. She closed her eyes, relishing in the sheer contentment of the moment. This wasn’t everything – not by a longshot. But it was enough for now.

“Maybe you’ll stay,” she whispered lightly. “Maybe moments like these will last forever.”

-=(0)=-

Jaina checked and double-checked her spell. The frequency matched, the energy signature matched one of the threads she’d isolated both from the malfunctioning portal and from Moth.

“Well, damn,” she exclaimed as she scribbled down the details. She had dreaded this day. More and more as she saw Sylvanas’ happiness with Moth; less and less as the weeks passed with no luck. Even today, she’d only casually poked around at dimensional variables, not truly putting effort into it. Twenty minutes of distraction from her preparations for tomorrow’s budget discussions. 

It was simply whimsy to test for spatial and temporal echoes in Boralus’ harbor wards, especially after such a long period. And yet…

Five weeks, three days and some hours later, here was the answer she’d hoped she wouldn’t find.

She noticed the gentle footsteps behind her and smiled up at her mother as the older woman came to stand behind her chair, resting her hands on her shoulders.

“What’s troubling you, darling?” Katherine asked as she rubbed Jaina’s shoulders soothingly. “I haven’t seen you this tense in an age.”

“I’ve figured out where Moth came from,” she answered, slumping slightly as she spoke the words into reality. “I have to let Sylvanas know…”

“Oh, Jaina.” Katherine pulled her back into a tight hug. “I’m sorry. I know she’s terribly fond of that little bat.”

“I wanted her to be happy,” Jaina said, her voice catching as tears stung at her eyes. “It’s so hard to coax true happiness from her, and … and this was perfect! As if the Tides themselves had brought an answer. But… but I can’t just keep Moth from his real family. He- he deserves…”

“Shh,” Katherine hushed. “Shh, shh…” slowly, she rocked Jaina back and forth as Jaina allowed herself to feel the ball of agony growing in her chest.

-=(0)=-

“Sylvanas?”

Moth’s ears flicked and his head turned as Jaina appeared in the orchard, tiny wisps of magic trailing off as the teleportation completed. Sylvanas turned her own gaze more slowly, hearing Jaina’s hesitant tone. One look at Jaina’s guarded expression and Sylvanas’ heart dropped to her feet; the taste of apples washed away by blood as her fang tore at the inside her her lip.

“You’ve found it.”

“I’m sorry,” Jaina said. “I was sure we’d done all we could – I was ready to call it done, but…”

“No,” Sylvanas shook her head, calling forth the stoicism of the Ranger General. “No, Jaina, that isn’t who you are – and not who I’d like to be. I knew this would come. Let’s do this and move on.”

“I can give—”

“No,” she shook her head again, caressing Moth as he chittered in her hands. “It’s not fair to him, or… me – the other me… the other _us_ , most likely. Please, let’s just do it quickly.”

“I… alright, my love.”

The process itself took only moments. Sylvanas stood with Jaina as she worked the portal, aided by the same two mages from the square. In just a moment, visions of worlds shot across her vision, faster and faster…

And then she saw them. Another Sylvanas. Another Jaina. Both weary and haggard, both on guard as they approached the vortex…

…and both astonished as Sylvanas held out her hands, Moth chirping and squeaking excitedly as he saw them.

“Go on,” Sylvanas urged. “They’re waiting for you. Go ahead.”

Moth glanced back at her, then towards the portal; once, twice. Then he launched himself into the air, soaring as gracefully as a bat might soar straight into the portal.

The other Jaina laughed as Moth collided with her, latching onto her jacket. The other Sylvanas was quick to reach out, touching, reassuring…

Sylvanas moved to stand behind her Jaina, squeezing her shoulders and drawing what comfort she could as she already mourned Moth’s absence. No happy little ball of fur cuddling and asking to play. No tiny little licks on her hand, no happy slurping of the energies she called forth…

The portal closed on a smiling couple, reunited with their beloved bat. 

This was a triumph. 

It was. 

All it cost was a fragment of her heart.

-=(0)=-

Sylvanas chose the docks as her moping perch, a decision that Jaina respected for a day or so. She’d have waited longer, too; but a rather interesting opportunity came in the form of a recently docked Kul-Tiran trade ship.

“Are you sure, Lady Proudmoore?” the child asked. “She seems kind of grumpy…”

“I’m sure, Eric,” Jaina said, coaxing the young boy closer. “Sylvanas misses her pet very much, but we had to send him home. I’m sure she’d love another.”

“I’d like that. I’d like him to stay.”

Jaina slowed to a stop several paces away, watching as the boy approached Sylvanas, who turned and straightened her posture immediately, climbing to her feet.

“Lady Windrunner?”

“Yes, child? What can—” Sylvanas paused, regarding the boy, and what he was gently carrying. Her eyes snapped to Jaina, before returning to Eric.

“Lady Proudmoore said you might be lonely and want a pet,” Eric said, speeding up as he went. “This is Spanker – he’s a mouser pa had on his ship. We called him Spanker because he jumps up on the spanker sail and sits there lots, even when it moves around. He was great, he kept the ship clean for years and years, and he loves to play, and even just yesterday he caught a mouse, even though he’s old and tired … he,” here Eric’s voice broke, “he didn’t wake up today. He always meows for food when my pa gets up, but he didn’t, and – and pa really likes you and we were going to bury him but Lady Proudmoore said maybe you’d like to have him and pa said okay and I’d really like to see him again and…”

Gently, Sylvanas took the dead cat from Eric as the boy trailed off, sniffing and wiping his eyes. Jaina felt terribly proud of Eric; clearly, he’d make a fine merchant captain one day. Sylvanas already cradled the cat in one arm, even as she attempted to comfort Eric with the other.

The Ranger General levelled a particularly dirty look at her, but nonetheless, as Eric stood back in awe, she coaxed forth her shadow magics, channeling them into the cat.

The grey striped ball of fur uncurled itself with a raspy mewl, bracing its front paws against Sylvanas as it stretched. Iridescent yellow eyes cracked open and a great, rumbling purr began, loud even from where Jaina stood. She quickly walked over as the cat began to lick Sylvanas’ hand, then Eric’s. He sniffed at Jaina as she offered her own hand, then butted his head against it, demanding a pat.

“I should be very cross with you,” Sylvanas said as she stood. 

“Please don’t be,” Jaina said. “This literally fell into my lap as an opportunity. I want you to be happy.”

“I love you,” Sylvanas whispered as she gathered the Lord Admiral into a hug. “Very much.”

“I love you, too,” Jaina said, thrilled at seeing Sylvanas smile – at seeing her happy again.

Eric paid them no mind, happily stroking Spanker’s rough fur, completely unbothered by the loud, rattling purr and glowing eyes.

-=(0)=-

But Sylvanas could keep up the pretence of happiness only so long. Spanker was a fine pet; even curled up as he was across the room, his mere presence filled the specific void Moth had left.

But the problem wasn’t Spanker. Or Moth. 

No, her longing was much, much deeper than that. A desperate want that existed even before Silvermoon had fallen to Arthas, so many years ago.

Now here she was, trying and failing to show her lover the attention she deserved, unable to dislodge her annoying, pointless, unfixable anguish.

“Sylvanas…” Jaina slowed in her own movements, pulling away to regard her.

Fantastic. Another moment destroyed by stupid feelings.

“I’m sorry,” Sylvanas said, reaching out. “I was lost in a thought.”

“Talk to me,” Jaina said, capturing both of Sylvanas’ hands and holding them in her own. “I was hoping that you’d be happy. Is… are you upset?”

“ _No,_ ” Sylvanas said fervently. “Never think that. Spanker is fine. He’s as ridiculously adorable as a cat can be. And I love you. Please, don’t ever think it’s you.”

“Then talk to me,” Jaina urged. “Tell me what it is that’s made you distant. Even if it’s something silly. Anything. I want to know, even if all I can do is listen.”

Jaina reached for Sylvanas, and she obliged as she fought to convert her sadness to words.

“I feel empty,” she said, holding Jaina tightly. “Cheated. I … I want so badly to have … to be surrounded by those that I love; animals, certainly, but… people I love, Jaina.”

No, those were the wrong words. Damn it all!

“You are,” Jaina promised. “Sylvanas, I love you dearly. Even my mother loves you; you know this.”

“I… just _more_ , Jaina. More.” Sylvanas steeled herself, forcing air into her lungs. She needed to voice this. She needed…

“I want a family, Jaina. I want children. My sisters both have them, despite their lives. I want them, I’ve always wanted them, and I can’t have them. You’re right here, you’re perfect – we’d make an amazing family, and we can’t, and it’s eating me alive.”

Jaina regarded her with wide eyes; behind them, Sylvanas could almost hear the gears turning. “I… Sylvanas, why didn’t you say? I – I’m surprised, I’ll admit, but… I’m not against the idea. We could—”

“I know that we might adopt… and I’d take that. Truly, I would. I just… wish I could have children of my own blood. A new generation of Windrunners. _My_ new generation. It’s such a foolish feeling.”

“It isn’t.” Jaina shook her head, kissing her again. “It’s a perfectly natural desire, my love.”

“Unattainable desires are…” Sylvanas shook herself. “They should be forgotten. Pointless longing won’t make me happy – or you; and I want for your happiness, Jaina. Very much so.”

“My happiness is tied to yours, too,” Jaina agreed. 

Silence fell, and Sylvanas slowly calmed herself. Her longing ached like a live flame, charring her heart. At the same time, her pain lessened with every moment she spent in Jaina’s arms. She’d given words to her pain – her jealousy, her greatest sadness – and Jaina had accepted those words with love and grace. The fuel stoking the painful flames had been cut off. Already, she could see them burning out. 

She could accept a human child. Or perhaps the Sun’s Light might guide her to an elven youngling. Or two – as many as Jaina might tolerate. She could pass on her stories. She could train them to hunt. To know the forests so well as to become one with them. 

Perhaps Jaina might find in their son or daughter an apprentice mage. A worthy heir to carry on her legacy. Every mage the world over would murder to apprentice themselves to Jaina. How wonderful it might be…

“I have an idea,” Jaina said softly into Sylvanas’ ear. She smiled – Jaina had to be thinking the same. Perhaps—

“Let’s go, you and I, to see Alexstrasza; maybe Kalec as well.” 

—what? That was unexpected.

“I don’t follow, Jaina,” she said. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that the dragon flights share our plight – the inability to have children. But they’ve been researching and experimenting endlessly to overcome that. If anyone can help—”

“Jaina—” she bolted upright, jerking from Jaina’s arms, her wide eyes searching her soon-to-be-wife’s. “What—”

“They can help,” Jaina said, more cautiously now. “We don’t have something as massive as Aspects in our way – simply biology. There’s every chance that something they’ve already experimented with would work—”

Again, Sylvanas crushed Jaina against her, perhaps a touch too tightly. Again, her chest ached, but not with the flames of regret and loss. No, now it overflowed with a love and appreciation too vast to contain or verbalize.

She could not cry – her Sun-blasted corpse of a body denied her that release – so she simply closed her eyes and held her lover as she trembled. 

“Shh,” Jaina cooed, “Sylvanas, it’s alright… Everything will be alright.”

And Sylvanas believed it. Here, with Jaina holding her, and a now-awake Spanker rumble-purring as he climbed onto the bed, demanding attention, she truly believed it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this little trip! Please leave your comments and kudos, as they're every bit as good as candy.

**Author's Note:**

> A little bit more to come! Please leave kudos and comments!
> 
> More importantly, go read Timeless!
> 
> -OW


End file.
